1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a container opener having a bottle and/or can opener at one end of a handle to provide the container opener with the additional capability of removing threaded bottle caps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several types of container openers for removing standard bottle caps and opening cans by either piercing or cutting away the top of the can are well known in the art. It is common for such tools to have multiple functions by combining bottle opener, can opener, cork screw, etc. on a single implement. Typical of these combination tools is the common, household bottle and can opener formed from a flat strip of metal wherein a portion of the metal strip serves as a handle whose ends are shaped into a bottle opener and a can opener.
There are also known implements for removing bottle caps of the screw or threaded type. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,695,536 to Voytech relates to screw-cap openers for bottles, jars and the like. The Voytech implement comprises a single elongated piece of metal, having a handle portion at one end, a pair of bent-over tabs at its other end for engaging the periphery of the screw-cap, and a needle disposed between the tabs for piercing the top of the cap to relieve the fluid pressure inside the container.
Another example of an implement for opening bottle caps of the screw type is U.S. Pat. No. 2,735,318 to Hrebicek. Hrebicek discloses an implement similar to the Voytech design in that they both include an elongated strip of metal which also serves as a handle and a pair of tabs and a needle projecting generally perpendicularly from periphery of the strip metal. In the Hrebicek design the relative shape, size and location of the needle and the pair of tabs have been altered for improved operation, in particular to allow the threaded cap to be removed with reduced effort than previously required. The Voytech and Hrebicek implements lack the complementary functions which the first mentioned devices are capable, being able to remove standard bottle caps and opening cans.
I have discovered that standard bottle and/or can openers may be modified to remove a threaded bottle cap while retaining its traditional function of either removing a bottle cap by prying it from a bottle or opening the top of a can. The additional feature is particularly useful when a threaded bottle cap which is designed for relatively easy manual removal becomes stuck so that it can be removed only with great effort. Moreover, the present invention alleviates the necessity for procuring a separate instrument to serve the single function of removing uncooperative threaded bottle caps.